Dance of the Dragon
by liliwick the WORD
Summary: AU. An old legend states that when a silver dragon met a young boy, they danced over the waters of a lake to celebrate the end of winter. Who would've thought the old folktale would come to life when the boy was called Sora and the dragon, Riku? HIATUS.
1. drifting

**Disclaimer: **_Kingdom Hearts_ belongs to somebody else. However, the legend in this story is a hundred percent mine.

This story, people, shall be GOOD. And horribly long too, unfortunately for me. A giant thanks to **suika's wind of the celestial** for reading through the drafts.

**Warnings: **In future chapters, coarse language may appear, shōnen-ai/BL, Malay words (I really don't know why I should call the 'orb', the _Mutiara_), a pretty complicated plotline and a very different Sora.

Hope you like it. Enjoy.

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* * *

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_Long ago, when the world was full of wonderful and mysterious things, there was a belief that whosoever claims a _Mutiara Naga – _a dragon's orb – is given the privilege to wield the power of Heaven. And because of this, people have sought after and hunted dragons for this prize. Many have failed but there are a few who have managed to claim it and pass this newfound power to their children. _

_Our story starts here in a small village where winter days never seemed to end even after the New Year was born. The people there woke up in their cold beds and gazed at their frozen gardens before they raised their eyes to the winter sky and prayed for the snow to melt, for the ice to crack, for the golden warmth to be spread across the land. _

_In a wood near the village, a dragon with scales gleaming silver like pure water, appeared out of nowhere, fleeing from a pair of hunters hot on its trail, their purposes being to take away its _Mutiara Naga_. It hid itself in the bucket of an old well where it was then discovered by a local village boy who was on his way home. Sensing the dragon's fear, the boy comforted it and once the creature was pacified, he asked:_

"_Where have you come from?"_

"_A Lake very far away from here," replied the dragon._

"_Why are you hiding?"_

"_There are some people out there, hunters, trying to catch me."_

_The boy looked at the dragon, thought for a while, before speaking again, "I will help you get back home."_

"_But how?" said the dragon. "People will notice me because of my silver scales. I also hold a _Mutiara Naga_ – the most precious thing I have that those hunters desire."_

_At this explanation, the boy had an idea. He reached into his thick robe and pulled out a blue sash. _

"_Wear this," he said as he tied the sash around the dragon's neck. "An old man gave this to me and said that this sash would make the wearer unnoticeable to others' eyes. So, you're free to wander anywhere and people will not take any notice of you!" _

_The dragon, surprised by this unexpected gift, looked at the boy before finally shutting its eyes in agreement._

_With their problem resolved, the boy and the dragon left the village and journeyed across the snow to find this lake. Soon, they came across a town that was holding a Winter Festival. Both the boy and the dragon slipped into the Festival to take a look – but alas, they were exposed to the entire village by the two hunters who have been following them all along!_

_Fortunately, the boy and the dragon escaped just in time and managed to reach the Lake that the dragon spoke about. It was large and filled with the clearest of waters. Delighted that they'd arrived, the dragon asked the boy to dance with it under the silver glow of the moonlight._

"_Why?" the boy asked, surprised by the dragon's offer._

"_This Lake is a gateway to Heaven," said the dragon. "And to open it, I must use the power of my _Mutiara Naga_. I want you to come back to Heaven with me."_

_And so they danced over the clear waters of the Lake – danced a mysterious, entrancing and beautiful dance – that even the world stood still to watch their performance. And while they danced, the _Mutiara Naga _shone in a fierce, white light and soon after, both boy and dragon began to ascend to the skies. _

_On the next day, the people were shocked to find the snow gone and grass had sprouted from the ground and the sun shone high in the sky like a smiling face. To this, some say that the power of the Dragon Dance had finally brought an end to the winter._

_So from that day on, a special festival was held to celebrate the last days of winter and during every one of these celebrations, the traditional dance between the boy and the dragon was performed to families of young and old, generation after generation._

_**

* * *

. **__**D a n c e . o f . t h e . **__**D r a g o n .

* * *

**_

I.** d r i f t i n g.**

_Vertigo. Vertigo. Dizzy… oh god, it's too high–_

Swiftly, he pulled the single book out from a compacted row of volumes on the top shelf and did not anticipate that doing so had caused a couple more books to join it. Before he knew it, a heavy weight hit him smack in the face and the ladder beneath him wobbled and finally tipped over, simultaneously bringing him down with it. He landed painfully onto the carpeted floor with a strangled cry and then a moan.

"Owww…"

He lay there, sprawled over the fallen books, next to that confounded ladder, telling himself that he had been reckless with his book arranging as he tried to ward away the pain that had paralysed his limbs. The bruise forming on his forehead throbbed unpleasantly and it took a few more seconds to pass before he could manage to make a couple of his fingers twitch.

"Sora!"

In recognising the voice, Sora tried to suppress a groan as his eyes shifted towards the figure of a brown-haired man whose grey eyes were widened with shock at his sprawled state. The man quickly rushed over to him, dropping the books he held in his arms as he cautiously hauled him up into a sitting position.

"God, are you alright? Is anything broken?"

Sora flexed his fingers again before turning his attention to the rest of his body. Nothing seemed to be broken. He was lucky that he wasn't badly hurt this time. When his form swayed with dizziness from the fall, he felt a warm hand touch the small of his back in support.

"I'm okay, I'm alright," Sora muttered, squirming under that stormy grey gaze. "I just … fell off the ladder, that's all."

Leon frowned, before slipping his fingers under the boy's messy brown bangs and gently pressing them onto the blue bruise on his forehead. "Sora, this is the _third_ time you fell off another ladder this week, you know that? Maybe you should man the counter instead of this sort of work …"

"No, no. It's okay," Sora cut in weakly, pushing Leon's fingers away from his forehead, feeling flustered that the other man would think he couldn't handle a simple job like this. "I'm fine with arranging books. Besides, it's far more interesting than sitting in one place, sucking mints and reading Mills & Boons all day – like the way Aerith does."

It was true. He wanted to move around and actually _do _something in the library. And if climbing ladders was the only way for him to get some active work, then so be it.

Leon sighed and ran his fingers through his shoulder-length brown hair. The motion caused Sora's gaze to catch hold of the thick leather band wrapped around the older man's wrist. It was one of those bracelets where you pull on the two string ends on either side to tighten the accessory around your wrist. The wooden beads that hung from the bracelet's strings dangled in the air as the other man's fingers remained buried in those brown locks. At this, Sora vaguely remembered Leon telling him that he had gotten the bracelet somewhere from Pride Rock – wherever that was – and as long as Sora had known him, Leon had never taken that bracelet off.

"Well, you have a point there," Leon finally spoke as he lowered his arm back to his side. "But really, I think you should be assigned to less dangerous forms of work. You're awfully susceptible to small accidents all the time."

_Here we go again._

"I'm _fine_," Sora insisted, his cheeks red from Leon's earlier proclamation. "I've been lucky so far. Look, I'll be much more careful next time. I promise."

At this, the older man harrumphed disapprovingly and began to pick up the fallen books scattered around them in an almost absent-minded way. Mind you, Leon had spent years working in the Borough & Bailey Library and as a result, picking up books had become second nature to him.

"I wish that idiot-of-a-_brother_ of yours didn't leave you to fend for yourself like this," Leon grumbled to Sora. "Especially for the entire winter season. Why couldn't you just stay at _my_ place? Or at Aerith's? Both of us would have gladly taken you in anyway."

There was a small trace of exasperation in Leon's words but Sora merely frowned at this, knowing that he had already heard this statement many times before. Really, sometimes he wished that Leon would let the matter drop. He already insisted that he was fine on his own and that he could take care of himself. What's more, he was only staying in the empty house for a couple of months before his brother would be back… and then be off on another trip again.

No, no. He was definitely fine by himself.

Sora hauled himself up onto his feet and was about to limp towards the stairs when he sensed Leon's expectant gaze on him. It occurred to him now that the older man was still waiting for his answer. Without looking back, he mumbled over his shoulder, "I'm perfectly** fine** at my brother, Cloud's, place. Besides, I don't want to be a burden to any of you if I stayed over."

Perhaps he had said the answer too light-heartedly because he felt a strong hand on his shoulder and Leon's grey eyes confronted his own blue ones.

"You know we don't believe that," he said solemnly as he squeezed Sora's shoulder lightly.

Seeing that same worried look on him almost everyday, Sora gave a wry smile before he pulled away from the older man and staggered down the hallway where his path was wedged between rows and rows of bookshelves on either side. For a moment there, he thought he heard Leon heave a deep sigh from behind him.

Sora lowered his eyes to the floor.

The library that afternoon was as silent as always except for the quiet murmuring of a few voices, the occasional whisper of whirling pages, the shuffling of footsteps against the carpet. During the early days of the New Year and especially in such snowy weather, not many people visited the Borough & Bailey Library. Yet Sora and his two colleagues, Leon and Aerith, never failed to miss a day of work. Because there were too many books to sort out, too many to categorize, too many to look after during that winter season.

When he reached the ground floor, he was suddenly aware that Leon was trailing after him and sure enough, a hand caught onto his elbow and pulled him towards the circular counter by the library entrance with a large overhead sign spelling out the words: CHECK-INS/CHECK-OUTS/INFORMATION.

"Leon, what–?"

"We need to do something about that bruise."

Oh, the bruise. Sora unconsciously reached up and felt the swelling bump on his forehead. He then tried to suppress another groan when his eyes shifted onto the person who was behind the circular counter.

It was a young woman who sat snuggling into the puffy office chair, her brown hair curled into ringlets and her green eyes fixed onto the pages of a small romance novel she held in her hands. As the two males approached closer, Sora saw the woman's fingers crawl into an open packet of mints, take one out and slip it absent-mindedly into her mouth.

"Aerith," Leon called, rapping his knuckles onto the counter for her attention. The woman lowered her book and blinked at her co-worker before her eyes travelled to Sora and immediately settled onto the blue bruise located smack in the middle of his forehead.

Sora held his breath. _Three…two…one–_

Aerith dropped her book.

"Oh my goodness! What _happened_?!" she cried, her voice echoing throughout the silent halls of the library and causing both Leon and Sora to cringe at the volume. A few visitors hanging by the Fiction section startled at her voice before muttering inaudibly to themselves and resuming their current businesses.

"It–" Sora began.

"Never mind that," said Aerith as she reached under the counter to extract a first-aid box. Flipping the lid up, she whipped out a small round container full of herb-smelling green gel and a square plaster.

"Honestly, Sora," she began ranting, unaware that her voice was loud enough to be carried around the halls. "You're so careless sometimes! If it wasn't falling off ladders or getting occasional paper cuts (which you always do, since you're working in a library), it's getting bruises. Whatever are we going to do with you if you just carry on with this job?"

_Oh god, no. Not again. Leon's been talking to you about me, hasn't he?_

Immediately, Sora knew where this conversation was going. It always seemed to pop up in situations like this and today, unfortunately, was no exception. And as always, he dreaded it.

"Aerith, I'm perfectly–"

"You really deserve something _better_ than this life," Aerith cut in, her voice fading softly into that of motherly concern. "Go out of Hollow Bastion for a while, get a better job. You don't need to stay here forever for our sakes."

She was looking at him with an expression that was identical to Leon's, and Sora – _damn it –_ couldn't hold that gaze any longer. Instead, he settled his eyes onto the brown-haired man who was, at the moment, reading the synopsis on the back cover of the romance book she had been reading earlier. After a few seconds, he sensed Aerith's disappointment at his casual disregard of her words as she carefully dabbed some of the gel onto his bruise.

It had always been like this between him and other people.

For god's sake, he was _fine_. Absolutely, perfectly, stupendously goddamn **fine**.

Why did they pester him so much?

"You just seem so lifeless, you know."

Leon's voice broke his train of thought and Sora stared at the brown-haired man who was looking at him with eyebrows furrowed with worry.

"You're like a drifting presence of uncertainty."

This time it was Aerith who spoke, her words said almost dreamily as if she was quoting from one of the books she had read before. She carefully planted the square plaster onto his forehead and stood back to look at him.

Sora was shocked at what he was hearing.

Seeing the boy's stunned look at the answers to his unspoken question, Leon attempted to explain, "It's written all over your face – your thoughts."

_My thoughts?_

Embarrassed, Sora turned his head away from his colleague's gazes. A sudden pang of guilt had just hit him in the chest.

_What do they mean…? What are they _talking_ about?_

He had only taken up this job just last summer after he graduated from high school and he always liked working in the library, always liked immersing himself in handling the colossal collection of books. He wasn't much of an avid reader but he liked the look of books, the touch of them, liked having their presence around him. To him, the library was like home. But as months passed by, he became a little restless and opted for handling tasks that involved him moving about the library a lot. Thus, there was the incident yesterday when he went to the hospital as the library's representative to read the story of the Boy and the Dragon to the kids at the children's ward. And then there was, well, the crazy task of pulling books out of high shelves with equally high ladders.

But really, he was still _fine _with it. He was entirely contented with spending his days sorting out books and alphabetizing titles. It wasn't as if he was _complaining_. What was with all this "lifeless" and "uncertainty" rubbish anyway?

Sora shut his eyes, his mind exhausted of thoughts. Facing him were Leon and Aerith who continued their silent watching of him, their expressions etched with worry.

Worry, worry, worry. Dammit, he was so _sick _of it.

_I'm alright the way I am._

He released a deep sigh.

"Please."

Even with his eyes shut and his vision in darkness, he could somehow sense Leon's and Aerith's attentions perking up a little at his next words:

"Please stop … nagging me about it…"

* * *

It was dark when he descended the snow-covered steps of the library, wrapped up in an aqua-blue Mickey Mouse Works windbreaker and a pair of gloves. The snow was grey all around him and crunched loudly as his boots sank into the mass of soft ice. White puffs left his mouth as he breathed in and out the biting cold air of the night. Inwardly, he wished the winter would soon pack up and leave before the month was out. He was really looking forward to some warm sun and the emergence of spring weather.

The town square was very empty as Sora made his way across the snow-ridden, street-lit pathway. To his left was the department store, a large CLOSED sign hanging from its glass entrance and its dark display windows presenting the store's product promotions.

To his right was a lane leading up towards the marketplace – a high street where a variety of shops sat in rows on either side. Small kiosks and stalls were placed in the middle of the street, covered with layers of cloth that was smothered in snow. They were all closed and the marketplace looked dark and abandoned.

It was kind of like how _he _felt at the moment.

He proceeded onwards and reached the end of the town square, stepping off the cobbled pathway and onto tarmac. Just over the other side was a large parking lot – Sora's destination – and he scrabbled into the confines of his Mickey Mouse Works yellow duffle bag for his brother's car keys.

He stopped when he reached the small, black convertible with a bent bonnet and a dented bumper. At the moment, the poor machine looked miserable and lifeless, being half-buried under the layers of grey snow.

Lifeless.

_You just seem so lifeless, you know._

Yes, Leon. I'm lifeless – like the goddamn car.

He kicked the wheel of his car irritably and the impact sent the vehicle wobbling slightly as if it was attempting to shake the snow off its body like a wet dog.

Unlocking the car and eager to get out of the cold, Sora slipped inside, dumping his bag onto the passenger seat and slamming the door shut. A pile of snow that covered his window fell away, exposing him a small view of the outside world he had left behind. He turned on the ignition and the engine whined as a series of dry knocks vibrated along the car. When he succeeded in starting up the blasted thing, he turned the heater on full blast and pulled out of the parking lot and headed towards home.

Home.

Did he really call that silent, empty house of his 'Home'?

He quickly placed the thought out of his mind, telling himself that he was much too exhausted to think. The events that happened today had seemed too much for him to mull over. He didn't care if he got back to the cold and empty house. He just wanted to crawl into bed and sleep in the quiet, peaceful dark.

Sora sighed wearily and felt the bruise on his forehead give an anxious throb. He unconsciously touched the plaster and looked over at the overhead mirror to study his injury.

Instead, his gaze landed onto a pair of eyes that watched his reflection from the gloom of the backseat.

Eyes–?

"AAAAHHHHH!"

The car suddenly swerved off the road and he tried to regain control, seeing the vision outside his window spin in a flurry of grey and black. Panicking, he slammed his foot onto the brakes and heard the horrid screech of the wheels roaring in his ears. When the car struggled and finally halted into a complete stop, he was thrown forwards from the sudden momentum.

"Oh god, oh _god_… what the–"

Sora swore out loud, breaking the silence that descended upon the car like the aftermath of a violent shower. He fumbled with the clasp of his seatbelt and when freed, leaned over the driver's seat to see exactly what had startled him so badly like that.

He jumped back in horror.

There was someone there – a person – crouching in the dark and on the floor just behind the driver's seat. In the silence that overwhelmed the car, he could faintly hear the stranger's breathing.

In. Out. In. Out. Dammit, what am I _doing_?

And in a few moments, Sora's heartbeat slowed down and he was able to shakily blurt out his words:

"Who the hell are you? What are you doing in my _car_?"

But complete silence followed after these demands.

Sora swore again, not caring if he was going to be condemned in his afterlife because he found himself _indignant_ – yes, absolutely, perfectly, stupendously goddamn **indignant** – that this sort of thing would happen to_ him_ of all people and kicked the door of his side open. Cold air rushed at his face, shocking his body, and he sank his boots into the deep snow and staggered his way towards the passenger door.

Right then. **Right**…

He wrenched open the door and discovered that whatever was crouching there a few seconds ago had shifted and was now on the other side of the car. Sora glared into the gloom and was able to make out the form of – a boy? A girl? – perhaps a bit much older than himself, curled at the foot of the backseat.

He slowly reached inside and flipped on the small light attached to the ceiling of the car.

The interior of the car was filled with golden light.

And a silver-haired youth with green eyes, as deep as the sea itself, stared right back at his blue ones.

* * *

Sora found that for a few seconds, he couldn't move, because he had never seen anyone as … **peculiar **as the person – the _boy_ – he was looking at now. The youth's pale skin brought out the deep colour of his sea-green eyes. His hair was long, tumbling down his shoulders, his way-too-long bangs flopping into his eyes. And it was silver, his hair was the colour of moonlight which gleamed almost proudly from under the glow of the car light. It was then when Sora noticed that the oversized black jumper the boy was wearing belonged to Cloud (for his brother usually gave him hand-me-down clothes anyway) and the paopu-fruit patterned shorts belonged to him (he remembered tossing those shorts into the backseat last summer and forgetting about them).

He snapped out of his stupefied trance and glowered at the thief of his clothing.

"Why are you wearing my stuff?" he demanded coldly. "And … what the… what are you doing in _here_ of all places anyway?!"

Despite the demands, there was no reply. Sora continued glaring at the youth with an air of expectancy for an answer, a sound, _something_. The seconds and the silence continued to stretch on between them and the more Sora glared at the boy the more he began to notice a certain wild air about him. Perhaps it was the way he crouched there, quivering under the exposing light. Perhaps it was the way his long, pale fingers twitched tensely. Perhaps it was the way his back arched like a fox cornered by a pack of dogs. And the way his bright eyes gazed – no, _stared_ back at his, unblinking and filled with watchful fear.

Those eyes… they were too intense. They were so, so…

Green.

He had never seen such a deep shade of green before. He almost felt like drowning…

Sora felt so light-headed and dizzy all of a sudden that he quickly shut his eyes and dragged himself out of the car. The sensation he was feeling was like vertigo, like looking down from a high place and feeling your head spin. He was uncertain of which steps to take to get him to safety.

_You're like a drifting presence of uncertainty._

Why are your words in my head at this time, Aerith?

A few metres away from the car, he finally collapsed onto a pile of snow and tried to regain his thoughts. He was still trembling from the shock of the near-crash and it took several seconds for him to collect himself again.

He noticed that he had stopped the car in the middle of a small woodland surrounded by a coppice of snow-covered trees. Gazing about the vicinity, he ran his fingers through his brown hair and released a deep sigh, exorcising his frustrations of the day – the images of Leon and Aerith's worried expressions, of books tumbling off high shelves, of returning to an empty house – and for the first time that night, he felt his shoulders relax slightly. It was as if being outside in the middle of nowhere had done the trick. He felt much calmer than he had ever been before… somehow.

…Not to mention strangely so.

Weird. What could've–?

There was a soft, hesitant crunching of snow behind him and another body, he noticed was barefooted, swooped down and crouched in the snow beside him.

Sora startled and leaned away, staring widely at the boy who had finally emerged from the confines of the car. He was surprised to see that the silver-haired youth had calmed down a little as well. The shock and fear had faded away from his expression but Sora could still see that alertness still remaining there. It was strange the way the boy stared at him from under his curtain of silver bangs with an air of curiosity. It reminded Sora of a shy mouse coming out of its hole and was ready to bolt if its predator made a move.

It was then when Sora found his voice working again, "Wh-who are you?"

A cold breeze rustled past, picking up the strands of silver and courting them with a dance as they whipped about the youth's pale cheeks.

"I'm Riku."

The voice that formed those words was quiet and, Sora was surprised, oddly soothing as if it had a rather magical, mysterious ring in it.

"I can see them."

"What?" Sora blinked and tried hard not to look directly into the green eyes that watched him constantly. He was afraid he might feel dizzy again.

"Your thoughts."

Sora's face darkened to a frown. His sour mood was back and boy, did he feel like starting up the car and running it over this kid's body over and over again. But he extinguished the tempting idea and settled instead with a very simple question:

"Why were you in my car?"

And the boy, Riku, fell silent for a while before his eyes narrowed slightly as if he was recalling a bad memory, "I was hiding from some people. They're trying to catch me."

"Catch you? Why's that?"

At this enquiry, Riku's gaze finally broke away and shifted down onto the snow, his lips pressed into a thin line. His expression, Sora found, was strangely impassive. It was hard to guess whether Riku was looking guilty or not. And there was another thing that Sora noticed about Riku. It was that unnatural air and manner about him – the way he crouched in the snow like that, the way he seemed unaffected by the cold surrounding him (considering that he had Sora's shorts on) and the way his bright eyes looked alert and wary of their surroundings, as if he was expecting some kind of attack to happen at any moment. And there was the fact that – he didn't want to sound rude or anything – Riku just seemed more or less… _animal-like._ There was something about him that seemed almost, well, **inhuman**.

"How _did _you get into my car anyway? And why myclothes?" Sora asked some more because he still needed answers to clear his mind. To be honest, he was baffled like hell.

"I just slipped in. It wasn't so hard."

Slipped in? What on earth–?

"As for the clothes, I found them inside. The people outside the window were wearing them so I thought it seemed appropriate. And your… _car_ has a lot of clothes in the back."

Sora blinked.

Riku had just successfully ruined his chances of making proper sense to the situation.

Apparently, thinking too much had brought his mind back into exhaustion. At that very moment, Sora felt like burying his head into the snow right now.

I think it's time to go.

Alright then.

Sora heaved out a great exasperated sigh, exhaling a cloud of white condensation into his surroundings. He had decided once and for all that he should drop Riku off somewhere, get rid of him, so that he could finally drive home in peace and resume his perfectly normal daily routine. He stood up abruptly, wiping off the snow that had clung onto his pants and plodded back into the driver's seat.

"What are you sitting around for?" he called to Riku, who had been watching him all this time with interest. "Get in the car."

Hesitatingly, the youth got up and trudged, barefooted, over the grey snow and glided – it seemed to be the best word for it –into the backseat of the car. There, he curled back into his original position on the floor, his sea-green eyes always alert, always watching.

Sora turned off the ceiling light and started the car.

The engine roared into life and they were off into the darkness, leaving long, trailing wheel tracks on the ground. It had begun to snow heavily - swiftly and silently – that in just a few minutes, the tracks disappeared completely and all that was left was a layer of snow looking untouched.

* * *

"This is your stop."

Sora had pulled over in front of a dim-lit inn situated at the far corner of Hollow Bastion, near the grand arch that marked the road leading out of the town and onto the wild highway. The curving rooftops of the inn were cast in shadow and the windows of the guestrooms were entirely encased with the grey coating of snow. It seemed that the south end of the town appeared to have suffered much worse weather than in the town square.

The brown-haired boy looked into the backseat where Riku still sat curled on the floor. Having dug into the car bonnet earlier on, Sora had pulled out from the pile of clothes that he had dumped in there a few pieces of clothing he donated to Riku. Now the paopu shorts had been exchanged with a pair of baggy pants, a pair of old boots and a frayed cashmere white scarf. He was allowed, however, to continue wearing the oversized black jumper.

Seeing that Riku hadn't moved as much as a finger from his spot on the floor when Sora announced their destination, Sora impatiently tapped on the steering wheel with his finger and gave the other a look. "I _said_ this is your stop. You can get out of the car now."

Riku seemed to have roused from his trance because he unhesitatingly rose and slipped out of the car with not so much as a sound. As he stood in front of the inn, looking as if he didn't know what to do next, Sora was suddenly aware of how tall and well-built the other actually was. Under the dim lights of the inn, the clothes that Sora had lent him somehow suited him perfectly and as the snow continued to drift down upon Riku's form, they seemed to tease at the silver locks, giving them an almost mesmerizing shine.

Such an captivating shine. It was like the moonlight…

"You _do_ know where you're going afterwards, right?" Sora asked, attempting to sound nonchalant but turning out slightly concerned instead. He was leaning over the lowered window with hands grasping the steering wheel.

Riku turned his head to look back at him and nodded, the motion causing the greenness of his eyes to sparkle. "I'm going back home… to the Lake."

The Lake…? Strange. Almost sounds like…

Sora blinked in hearing such an answer but dismissed it from thought afterwards. He looked at Riku again, at the frayed ends of his cashmere scarf and his black jumper, and at once had a stray notion, a stray _suggestion_ floating into his head.

Tch, I can't just leave him in the cold like that.

Sora quickly whipped off his aqua-blue Mickey Mouse Works windbreaker and held it out of the window to Riku. The silver-haired youth seemed surprised by this sudden act and took to staring at the offered piece of attire. Sora felt the beginnings of a blush creep up his face. He felt very awkward holding out the windbreaker to someone who hasn't taken it yet.

"It's for _you_," Sora said, his face flustered and he motioned again for the other to take it.

At this, Riku slowly reached out and curled his fingers into the folds of the windbreaker. And then he did the most curious thing. He raised his eyes from the windbreaker to Sora's face and just _looked_ at him.

Sora thought – _no-I-must've-been-too-tired-or-something-because-I-could-have-sworn…_ – that he felt something, something **strange** flowing through his being. It was unexpected and mutual and it had connected him and Riku together for a quarter of that second. It took hold of him and it whispered to him and he involuntarily shivered in response.

He didn't know what it was. It disappeared before he could figure it out.

The windbreaker left his hand.

"Thank you," Riku murmured as he pulled on the windbreaker and zipped it up. Sora just nodded dumbly in response. He was still somewhat dazed by what had just happened.

And then there was silence between them, broken only by the whispering of wind and falling snow, and Sora hung about the steering wheel, trying to think what he should _do_ now while Riku just looked and looked back at him with that shy-mouse air still lingering in his gaze. It had just occurred to him that they were parting their ways and it felt oddly strange to be separated all too soon.

"Well," Sora finally said after the awkward moment. "Good luck."

And he started the engine and pulled out of the kerb, driving off into the darkness and feeling his heart beating fast and unsteady. Unmoving, Riku watched as the figure of the little car blended and disappeared into the night. When he felt something inside the pocket of the blue windbreaker, he slipped his hand in and pulled out a library I.D. card, wrapped in a plastic cover with a metal clip attached to it.

There was a small photo of the boy whose spiky brown-hair flopped about his head, his sky blue eyes twinkling as his lips stretched out in a sheepish smile.

And Riku opened his mouth and whispered out the name printed upon the card as if tasting the way it rolled out of his tongue:

"_Sora._"

* * *

A few hours later, at the grand arch that led into the town, two figures, wrapped up entirely in black, trudged through the deep snow.

"Damn this cursing _snow_! Damn this confoundable _cold_! Damn it all!" the shorter one of the pair growled under the fur-trimmed hood that covered his head.

"Now, now, Roxas," drawled his much taller companion, who was smoking a lit cigarette as he picked his way across the snow with one of his hands buried deep into the pockets of his thick coat. "It doesn't matter how many times you cuss, it'll still keep snowing and it'll still stay cold."

"Damn _you_, Axel," snapped the shorter one. "I hate being cold. And this goddamn wild goose chase–"

The taller one, Axel, flicked his cigarette away and watched it crumble in the snow before cutting into the other's sentence, "Well then, I'll hafta warm that little body of yours up, doncha think?" He glided over to Roxas' side and in one swift movement, wrapped his long arms around the smaller body in an embrace. "After all, we don't want your _special_ little powers freezing up just because–"

"Get off," Roxas muttered, pushing Axel off him before crouching over a pile of snow and examining it.

Axel gave a sigh, causing a small cloud of condensation to emerge from under the fur-trimmed hood of his coat and planted his hands onto his hips as he regarded his young companion.

"You found something?"

"More than that," Roxas murmured, looking up with a gleam in his eyes. "I've found his tracks. He's headed for the public library."

**

* * *

(End chapter)

* * *

  
**

**Notes:**

Where is bubbly, happy Sora? Why is he pushing Leon and Aerith away? Who exactly is this mysterious Riku? What exactly was that mysterious feeling passed between Sora and Riku? Who are Axel and Roxas and what are they looking for?

Hm, I seemed to have portrayed Sora as a "reality anchor" as what my sister puts it. He's a normal, bored guy suddenly thrust into a wacky world the minute he meets Riku. Can you guys see any connection between the legend and the story itself? Sash versus windbreaker (both being blue), perhaps? And really, why have I called the dragon orb as the "Mutiara Naga"? Yes, it sounds like the dragon ball, don't you think? It's the stuff in those oriental legends. I've been sniffing around for info on things like this. Eastern dragons are so cool!

Urm, I've leave you guys to ponder upon it.

Now go and click the little review button there and make me a happy authoress.


	2. maelstrom

A huge thank you to these wonderful, wonderful reviewers:

**DeeLoli, yasu-yasu, CuriousDreamWeaver, Kaida Shade, Kat, Smiley Smackdown, SuperFriendlySoraFan203, DahlingKu suikachan, mochiusagi, -IvyBlonde-, mrsFOON, Faith Aikoi, Kanpa **and** Chronos Mephistopheles.**

Apologies for the late update. I'm happy to see people taking an interest in the story so I thank you again for the reviews. This chapter kicks start the action. In my personal opinion, it's not as good as I want it to be but I'll leave it to you guys to decide.

**Warnings: **language in some parts, but otherwise it's tolerable.

Enjoy.

* * *

II.** m a e l s t r o m.**

_COME AND JOIN THE ANNUAL END OF WINTER'S __**DRAGON FESTIVAL **__HELD IN THE TOWN SQUARE OF HOLLOW BASTION!_

_Free admission for all! Held between January–_

"Ow…! Damn it!"

Sora jerked out of his seat as hot liquid spilled over his front. He dropped the mug of cocoa onto the low coffee table with such force that the contents came sloshing out to stain the glossy flyer he had been studying.

A handkerchief floated in his view and he looked up and saw that Leon was offering it to him. Blushing slightly for his open cursing, he murmured a "thanks" and set about wiping the mess he had made.

"You _know_ your cocoa is hot," Leon informed him from over the top of _The_ _Bastion Bulletin, _"So you should be careful not to down the whole thing in one go." He turned over a page of the newspaper and resumed his quiet reading.

It was early morning and the two males sat in the staff room of the library, waiting for Aerith to arrive. Finished with his cleaning-up, Sora got up from his seat, headed towards the mini-kitchen and then stopped by the window to look out. Outside, the town centre was just waking up to another cold morning. The sun was nothing but a blurry disc of gold struggling to burn through the mist that hung about the snow-capped rooftops and chimneys.

After rinsing the handkerchief and laying it over the radiator, Sora pulled off his stained jumper, shivering slightly when the cold air hit his skin. By the time he got back to the main staff room, Aerith had finally arrived, her hair blown back by the wind, her cheeks bright pink. She was leaning over the newspaper Leon was reading, her green eyes squinting slightly to read the miniscule words printed on the stone-coloured paper.

"…Audition for the role of the Boy in the Dragon Dance… today from ten to four…" Sora heard her recite before she then lifted her head up, saw him standing there and her face broke into a wide smile.

"_You _should go!" she suggested.

Sora stared at her for a moment, not quite believing the suggestion and then looked away, blushing. "Why me? I can't dance even if my life depended on it!"

"Tch, _nonsense,_" said Aerith, her head still hanging above the paper, oblivious of the fact that the ribbon in her hair was brushing the tip of Leon's nose. The man-in-question was frowning and trying to lean away from the woman's intrusion into his space. "You'd make a nice-looking Boy. Think of it! You, dancing with the Dragon and all the girls swooning at your magnificent performance. It'll be just _exciting_ for once to tell the library's visitors that one of our librarians took part in this year's Dragon festival, especially the Dance!"

She tried to stand up but the top of her head collided hard against Leon's jaw.

"Argh!"

"Ouch!"

"Aerith!"

"Leon!"

Sora quickly got out of the room before the attention could return to him, leaving his mug of cocoa and flyer on the coffee table. The stains on the flyer were drying now. The cocoa had blotted out the flyer's text but had not quite reached the illustration of a silver dragon whose long and lean body curled like a comma round the dancing figure of a boy.

The sun climbed higher into the misty grey sky as time passed. Soon the town square began to stir with life. The shops opened up like Christmas cards and people milled around the square, leaving their footprints in the snow. The weak sunrays left the white peaks that crowned the surrounding roofs glittering, making the world above the square appear almost magical.

There was a lazy air about the library today and Sora was on the first floor, crouching by the bookcases that were wedged against a balcony overlooking the central foyer. If Sora peeked through the railings, he'd be able to see Aerith behind the circular counter, reading another Mills & Boons.

Another day. The same routine.

Sora jerked his finger back and brought it up to his mouth, sucking it thoughtfully. The book he was handling had just nicked his knuckle. He leaned back against the bookshelves and sighed, closing his eyes. The world he was in was still, dull and boring. He liked it, he had told himself. This tedium of his life, like the inertness of winter.

More time passed. Lunchtime arrived and all three librarians were back in the staffroom. Aerith was wrapping a thick scarf around her neck, ready to go out.

"How about jacket potatoes today?" she suggested, tucking the ends of her scarf into her red coat. Without waiting for an answer from the two males, she took her bag and swept out of the room, only to return a few minutes later, looking flustered at something. Her eyes found Sora's before she spoke:

"There's someone outside… wanting to see Sora," Aerith said faintly and then pointed towards the door. "You should go there."

Surprised, Sora held his ground for a while before he felt Leon's hand on the small of his back, gently coaxing him forward. He stumbled outside into the winter sunshine where the cold attacked his coatless form. There, standing by the snow-covered steps, was a tall figure wearing a blue windbreaker with the ends of his white scarf fluttering in the breeze and his silver hair gleaming in the sun.

_Ri…Riku?_

Suddenly, like a slap on the face, the memories of the night before sprung into his consciousness: the near-crash, the snowy woodland, their parting outside the inn, the pair of intense green eyes…

It _wasn't_ a dream then…

"_You_… What– what are you doing here?" Sora hissed, his cheeks becoming pink from the cold as well as from the annoyance building up inside him.

Riku didn't reply immediately but stepped closer to him, pulling something out from the pocket of the windbreaker and holding it out for Sora to take. It was his library ID card.

"Oh!" Sora's irritation vanished for a moment and he snatched up his card, remembering that he couldn't find it earlier that morning. He looked back at Riku and then at the windbreaker, realising that the jacket had been his. That's right, he thought. I remember putting the card in there…

Riku hadn't spoken yet but stood watching Sora the same way he had the previous night, like a mouse curious of something new.

Sora drew himself up to full height in an attempt not to squirm under that watchful gaze. "Thank you for returning my card… w-wait, how did you get here again? Didn't you have somewhere to go?"

Riku tilted his head slightly as if he was thinking of an answer and Sora suddenly noticed something different about Riku. What was it? He searched the other's face and realised that Riku's eyes…

Blue. The same shade as his windbreaker. Aqua blue.

Not green.

What…?

Before he could point this out, Riku had spoken then and his voice was quiet, carried by the breeze like musical notes in the air, startling Sora out of his thoughts: "I know it belongs to you so I walked back here to return it. It took me the entire night to get here and then I waited outside for you to come out."

_What_ did he say? "How… how long did you stay outside…?"

"Since this morning."

"In the _cold_?"

"I don't mind it."

No way. Sora groaned, "Why didn't you just come in and ask for me?"

Something in Riku's face brightened. "I can _do_ that?"

Sora stared up at Riku incredulously, searching the other's face to see if he was joking but found nothing. It did seem as if Riku really didn't know anything at all, like the remark about the clothes last night. Then there was that strange feeling that passed between them when Sora gave him his windbreaker…

Sora's eyebrows furrowed slightly.

There was something strange about Riku. Sora wasn't sure whether he wanted to know more.

Suddenly, gentle hands touched his shoulders and Aerith's voice was suddenly by his ear, "Sora! Look at you! No coat on at all! You'll freeze to death out here! Why don't you bring your friend inside where it's nice and warm?"

The last thing that Sora wanted was more of Riku's company. He was about to tell Aerith that Riku had something to do when she ushered them both into the warm interior of the library.

* * *

Leon didn't look happy when the trio stepped into the staff room. In fact, his eyes were narrowed with suspicion. There was a blue bruise on his chin, the spot where Aerith had hit him and Sora unconsciously touched the bandage on his own forehead and recalled the memory of his fall off the ladder the previous afternoon. He saw Leon regarding Riku's figure and the blue windbreaker before he averted his questioning eyes onto Sora.

"There! This is better, isn't it?" Aerith said, clapping her hands together. "And Sora, you haven't introduced us to your friend yet."

"Oh no, he's… not exactly a friend," Sora corrected the woman and caught the wary expression on Leon's face. "No, it's not what you think!" he protested with a frown. "I just met him in passing, that's all. It's– it's _nothing_, okay?"

He realised that he had almost shouted the last line and embarrassed at his outburst, cleared his throat and tried to cover up his mistake.

"He just came over to return my library card, that's all."

"Is that so?" Leon said, his tone clipped. He was still watching Riku sceptically, as if the other was about to pull out a knife out from under his windbreaker when they weren't looking. Aerith stood by Sora, looking uneasily at them.

Sora found himself extremely annoyed at everyone around him: at Riku for turning up on the library steps, at Aerith for bringing him in and at Leon for acting like he was now. He glanced at the staff room door for a second, contemplating on whether he should leave or not.

"So what's your name?" Aerith asked the newcomer gently.

Riku looked at her for a while, then at Leon's stare, then back at Sora.

"It's Riku," Riku said, his eyes still on Sora. They were blue, his eyes. Weren't they supposed to be green?

"Riku?" Aerith echoed. "What a nice name…" Then, "well, how about I get us _all_ some lunch?" she suggested again. Sora saw the bewildered expression on her face when she noticed the way Riku was staring at him like that.

It seemed as if Aerith had taken the cheerful air with her when she went away and left the three men in the room. The atmosphere became awkward then and Sora was aware that Leon's face was set in a frown as he glared at Riku. Riku, oblivious of Leon, continued watching Sora – always watching, like a cat on a windowsill.

Afterwards, Leon broke the silence.

"So," he began as he folded his arms across his chest, his stare on Riku unfaltering. "Riku, was it? Where you from?"

Riku finally shifted his eyes away from Sora and looked at Leon, looked him up and down. Then he spoke, "far away. Somewhere far away from here."

"Really? And where would that be?"

Riku hesitated for a moment as if he was weighing his options before he answered, "a Lake very far away from here."

"I see," Leon said, the frown of suspicion still there on his face. "How do you know Sora?"

When the question leapt out of Leon's mouth, Sora panicked. Riku would surely tell him about the incident last night and Leon would definitely know about the discovery in the car and the near-accident and then he would… well, freak out.

"I gave him a lift last night," Sora cut in quickly, his face flushed. "I was driving home and he was by the side of the road. So I offered him a lift."

Leon studied Sora for a moment, evaluating the boy's words before he glanced at Riku to see the other's reaction to the answer. It was hard to tell what he thought though as Riku's face remained impassive.

"I see…" Leon said again.

Thankfully, the distant sound of a phone ringing reached the room. Leon got up, glanced at both boys before exiting the room to take the call.

They were now alone.

"Sora."

Sora looked up, surprised.

"Sora." It was Riku who had spoken, who had called his name. There was something almost beguiling about the way his name rolled out of Riku's lips like that, as if the other was tasting it with his tongue.

"What is it?" Sora found himself answering.

Riku was silent for a while. Then he finally murmured, "I don't know which way to go."

The unexpected statement surprised Sora greatly but left him baffled for an answer.

"What do you mean?"

"This place where I got to go. The Lake," Riku said, his eyes fixed on Sora's again. "I don't know where it is."

Sora was not sure what to answer. Was Riku's purpose for coming here to ask for his help? If so, why did Riku ask _him _of all people? He was irritated that the older boy was back in his life. Riku wasn't even good company and he was so strange to be with. Sora had to find another way to get rid of him and quick.

He sighed in defeat. "What is this lake of yours called?" Sora enquired flatly.

Riku's face didn't change. "I don't know."

Sora frowned. How do you expect me to help you if you don't even know what you're looking for?

"But I know how it looks like," Riku added.

Sora glanced at Riku.

Okay, that could work.

Sora stood up, tugging down the hem of his jumper.

"Come with me."

* * *

"Sora?" It was Leon by the reception desk. "We've been called out. Aerith is having some trouble with our orders…"

Sora saw his grey eyes widen slightly. Leon must have recognised the professional air about him, of someone who was on the job of fulfilling their patrons' needs.

"I'm showing him a book," Sora spoke before Leon could. "It's alright, Leon. Go on and help Aerith. I'll stay here and look after the library."

Leon looked doubtful at the answer and then he pulled Sora to the side, his hand closing around the boy's wrist. "How long is he staying here?" he asked quietly, his grey eyes wandering back to Riku.

"Not long," Sora replied. From the corner of his eyes, he could sense Riku watching him again, waiting for him. He told himself to ignore it for a moment. "I'm just showing him this lake he wants to know about and then he'll be gone."

Leon turned back to Sora, his face grim. "There's something strange about him, Sora," he murmured even more quietly to avoid being overheard.

"I'm aware of that," Sora muttered back through gritted teeth. "But _really_ Leon, I'll be fine. I can take care of things here."

Leon hesitated. Again with the look.

"You can still come, you know," the older man tried again. "And you can do all this when we get back." The boy felt Leon's grip on his wrist tighten.

Then Sora was suddenly aware that both Riku and Leon's gazes were on him. The intensity of their stares made him dizzy. He felt caught between the two men. Between Riku and Leon. Should he stay or should he go?

A few seconds later, Sora pulled his wrist out of Leon's grasp.

"I'll be fine," Sora said again. "You go on ahead."

A pause.

"Alright," Leon gave in reluctantly. "Stay by the counter after you two are done. Call me if you have any problems."

Leon left then, shooting a final glance at the two boys before he shut the main doors firmly behind him, cutting off the sounds from outside. The boys found themselves in the still, heavy silence of the now empty library.

Sora let out a deep sigh and motioned for Riku to follow him.

"Right then," Sora broke the heavy silence as he adopted his professional role. "We're going to the reference section upstairs. If I can remember, they should be a book about all the bodies of water in the country…"

They ascended the steps and reached the first floor. A long aisle stretched out before them with rows and rows of bookcases lined up on either side like soldiers standing for attention. The two boys passed each of the bookcases, delving deeper and deeper into the landing until Sora turned right and they found themselves facing another row of bookcases stationed on a balcony overlooking the Fiction books section downstairs.

Sora hesitated by the end of one of the bookcases. He had always hated this balcony with its thin wooden railings. If he looked down from this height at the lines of bookcases and reading desks long enough, his vision would begin to swim. If he looked up at the ceiling, he would see the library's sunroof, shaped like a dome – a circular window to the outside world.

"Wait while I look, okay?" Sora glanced back at Riku and saw the other nod.

He set to work then, letting his fingertips trace along the book spines, his eyes taking in the titles that he had worked hard to arrange in order. But Sora, having had so much experience in book-arranging, was patient and precise in his selection because several minutes later, he emerged with a large illustrated book in hand.

"Here it is!" he said with a tone of accomplishment. Riku was automatically by his side then, his eyes full of curiosity. They stood together by the bookcase, Sora flicking through the coloured photographs and Riku peering over his shoulder.

"This?"

"No."

"What about this one?"

"No."

"This one?"

"No."

"This one then?"

"No."

"This lake?"

"No."

"…?"

"No."

Curious how Riku's "no's" didn't vary at all.

After a couple more pictures of lakes, all of which were negative, Sora flicked through the next few pages and suddenly Riku said, "Stop."

He froze, looking at the other.

Riku reached over and turned back one or two pages and stopped at a photograph of a large body of water surrounded by dark woodland. Then he pointed at it, at the clear water reflecting the trees and the partly hidden sky.

"This is it," he said and his tone was definite, certain.

Sora blinked, reading the caption underneath the picture. "This?" he said hesitatingly. "Are you sure? It's not exactly a lake. It's a reservoir… and just behind Twilight Town, it says. It's a _reservoir_, not a lake."

Riku didn't seem to hear him. He was staring at the picture with familiarity in his eyes. Sora was watching his face, waiting for the other's next move. He was watching Riku's eyes, aqua blue like his windbreaker–

And then the blueness in Riku's eyes suddenly flashed green. The same green from the night before.

Sora's whole world became surreal then.

Time slowed down for a moment. A flash of silver and blue leapt into the corner of his vision and Sora felt a strong force – Riku – slam into him, knocking all the breath out of his body. The book fell out of his grasp. His feet left the ground and Riku's arms were wrapped around his torso, holding him against his chest.

A strange object passed across Sora's vision then: red, black and round – like a wheel.

There was an explosion of wood and paper as the object crashed into the middle of the bookcase, at the exact spot where Sora had been standing at, and Sora could see among the wood splinters and torn paper that it looked like a Catherine wheel studded with spikes. If he had stayed there for a second longer, he would have been sliced into two.

There was a loud snapping of wood as they broke through the wooden railings, the force juddering his bones and then they were leaning backwards into thin air.

They had crashed through the railings. They were falling off the balcony.

A scream burst out of Sora's mouth as he saw the remains of the balcony falling farther away from him, his hair was thrown into his face and silver-white petals sailed past him, shimmering like teardrops.

Petals?

The hold around his middle tightened. Then his stomach flipped upside down. They were rising, gliding upwards. They were flying in the air as if on wings. Flying – he was sure of it.

Out of nowhere, another unseen force hit them, jolting them out of their flight. He heard Riku curse by his ear and Riku's grip on him slipped and Sora slipped through the air, his body too heavy for the air to hold him. He fell – the ceiling, the glass sunroof, the winter sky too far for him to reach. His heartbeat was loud in his ears.

He landed with a crash onto one of the tables and it collapsed under him, his head banging against the wood. His vision flashed white and pain burst through his body from the impact. Staring, he thought he saw something silver fall like a shooting star. And petals or whatever they were, silver-white in colour, trailing after it.

And then, Sora sunk into the darkness.

* * *

A boy was standing over him when Sora came to. Dressed in a black coat with a fur-trimmed hood, he had blonde hair, piercing blue eyes and an angry frown. Seeing that Sora was awake at last, he stepped closer and planted a heavy boot onto the middle of Sora's chest.

"You fool," he growled. "Why are you helping him?"

Confused at first, Sora suddenly realised that he was lying on a broken desk, surrounded by pieces of wood and strips of paper, feeling his whole body sore and bruised. He had fallen off the balcony and he had been flying – and then Riku…

And then he was nearly cut in half…

Fear hit him then, spreading all over his body; terrible, raw fear paralysing his limbs, stopping him from moving. He merely stared at the boy standing above him, realising for the first time the fragility of his tedious, unfulfilled life. He had his fair share of injuries in the past but never had he thought of the possibility of actual death. Now he was finally facing that possibility and he was frightened at the fact that he hadn't the strength to fight back.

This is crazy, he kept telling himself. I don't deserve this. This should have nothing to do with me. Why am I in this mess in the first place?

Just _what _is going on?

"Hey!" the pressure of the boot on his chest increased and Sora let out a cry. "Answer me! I saidwhy the _hell_ are you helping him?"

Sora found it hard to breathe so he mustered the remainder of his strength to push the boot off his chest. "I don't know what you're talking about!" he gasped out.

"Don't lie!" the boy yelled before he reached down and grabbed Sora roughly by the collar and hoisted him up to his face. "_Him_! The one you're showing that damned book to! That bloody _dragon_!"

Sora stared at him, not quite believing what he had heard. But the silence that he gave seemed to anger the boy even more because he began shaking Sora none too gently.

"Stupid, stupid _idiot_! Look what you've–"

A gloved hand appeared and landed on the boy's wrist, stopping him from shaking Sora further.

"Leave him alone, Roxas," came a smooth voice and the boy hesitated, his angry blue eyes on Sora before he shoved the brunet away. Sora fell back onto the remains of the desk, wincing when he felt something sharp pierce his hand.

He looked up to see who the newcomer was.

A tall man, also dressed in a dark coat, stood beside the blonde boy. His hair was bright red and stood up in spikes. He had two teardrop tattoos marked under each eye and the greenest irises Sora had ever seen. Even greener than Riku's.

"Well?" the boy said as he glared up at the man. "Did you find him? Where's he hiding?" he said all this impatiently, his voice slicing the air like a knife.

The man shrugged his shoulders and then turned to Sora with an air of surprise, as if he had just noticed him lying by their feet.

"Oh, you're the kid from upstairs," he said as he peered down at Sora with a smile. "Sorry I nearly hit you there with my chakram. I was aiming for the dude you were with… but tell me something," the smooth voice changed slightly, sounding serious. "…What did he want with you?"

Sora didn't know whether he should answer or not. He was stopped from continuing his silence when the blonde boy, impatient at the delay of his answer, aimed a kick at his side and Sora cried out again as a new surge of pain sailed up his body.

"Oh give it a rest, Roxas," drawled the boy's companion before he hunkered down to peer at Sora more closely. Sora couldn't help but stare into the man's eyes. There were so green yet there was something else in there, something about the man that even the blonde boy didn't know. It was as if the man's relaxed manner was only a façade. There was something darker about his nature.

"Allow me to introduce ourselves," the man grinned, even waving his arm in a mock-bow. The grin reminded Sora of the Cheshire cat and Sora suddenly had the impression that he had just tumbled into a Wonderland that was real, a Wonderland where he had followed Riku into.

"The name's Axel," the man continued, pointing at himself and his long arm reached back to wrap around the blonde's boy's waist. "And this adorable mass of seething fury here is Roxy."

"Rox_as_," the boy snapped, pulling away. "Why do you bother telling him our names? We have to _kill _him anyway!"

Sora's blood turned cold. He shrank back from the two strangers but hadn't the strength to get up and run away.

The man, Axel, didn't answer back but continued looking at Sora, studying him almost carefully. There was a calculating gleam in his eye, as if he was trying to figure out what should be done next.

Axel closed his eyes. A decision had been made.

"I guess we have no choice," he said, a grin breaking out of his face before he reached out and took hold of Sora's collar. He stood up then; pulling Sora up with him but the brunet couldn't find the energy to stand up. His fall seemed to have annihilated his sense of balance. Axel, who appeared to have sensed this, held onto him to keep him from collapsing.

"Normally we don't do this because our guy _never_ asks help from people," Axel chitchatted easily. "You happened to be the first person he's hanging out with. Unlucky though, it's gonna cost ya. Cuz our job is to eliminate all the evidence he leaves."

El-eliminate? Oh god…

"W-wait," Sora finally found his voice and it came out small and scared. "J-just… just hang on a second–"

"_Axel_," came Roxas' impatient growl.

Axel cast his green eyes on Sora and shrugged apologetically, "No can do. A job's a job–"

The red-haired man waved his arm and suddenly something appeared in his hand, as if he had just snatched it out of air. It was the red and black wheel, the 'chakram' Axel had called it; the same one that had nearly killed Sora on the balcony. The spikes studding around it were razor sharp, glinting dangerously in the light.

When Sora saw it appear out of thin air, he gasped when he recognised what it was and began struggling in Axel's grasp.

"W-wait, _wait_!" Sora stuttered as he tried to fight Axel off but he was too weak. His whole body was aching from the fall, his head was throbbing and he was aware that something warm and wet was trickling down his neck. "I… I was only helping him so-so I could get rid of him! Why do you have to k–"

He found that he had no courage to say the next word. Instead, he stared at the chakram that Axel was holding, already imagining himself being cut into ribbons. Sora trembled with fear at the thought and forced himself not to look at it. What a terrible way to die! All because he was helping Riku!

Axel tightened his grip on Sora's collar and Sora felt the man's thumb on his chin, tilting it upwards to expose his neck. He was sure that Axel could feel the racing pulse in his throat. Axel twirled the chakram once and it spun in a blur of red, black and white. He flashed a smile, "No hard feelings, kid!"

Then he swung the chakram, aiming for Sora's throat.

Sora's heart stopped for a moment.

Everything began moving so fast:

The chakram suddenly stopped by Sora's neck, a spike barely brushing the skin and Axel suddenly yelled out, _"Roxas!"_

From the corner of his eye, Sora saw Roxas move in a blur too fast to follow and then the blonde boy was in front of them and something silver collided into him and the whole world exploded in a white light. A gigantic shockwave washed over Sora and Axel, tearing their hair back and propelling them backwards but Axel stood his ground, pulling Sora against him, stopping him from flying away. Sora felt his already battered body being shaken by the force. He almost opened his mouth to scream again.

Then, as suddenly as it had begun, everything stopped.

Sora suddenly realised that his face was pressed onto Axel's side when he felt the man chuckling. He quickly pulled his face away and stared at the surroundings.

The rows of bookcases were all thrown back from the impact, spilling torn books all over the floor. But this wasn't what Sora was staring at. In front of him and Axel, Roxas and Riku stood; the carpet beneath their feet singed and blackened. Roxas was holding out a chakram, identical to Axel's, in his hands and was using it to hold back Riku, whose shoulder was pressed against the weapon in an effort to break through.

Riku's eyes were green.

"Good job, kid," Sora heard Axel murmur to him before the man chuckled again. He was still holding onto Sora only because Sora was already close to collapsing. He had to hold onto Axel's coat to keep himself up. "You lured him out," Axel went on.

Sora stared, not believing what he was seeing. The near destruction of the library, the fall from the balcony, the chakram, these people…

And Riku… Riku could not be human. And _these _people could not be human either…

The two still figures in front of them were straining to push the other off. Sora could see the tension on their faces. Roxas then growled to Riku, "Finally decided to fight back eh…"

Riku's eyes narrowed slightly. Roxas spat out the next words with disgust:

"…You _coward_!"

Roxas gave his chakram a forceful shove with enough force to push Riku off. The silver-haired youth was pushed backwards from the impact but caught back his balance, steadied on his feet and stood there, feet and arms apart, his fingers poised like claws, his back arched in a half-crouch, his stance animal-like. His green eyes were blazing, fixed entirely on Roxas. Roxas swung his chakram to the side and adopted another stance.

There was a pause.

"…And begin," Axel muttered quietly enough for Sora to hear.

Roxas shot forward towards Riku like a bullet, swinging his chakram and Riku moved swiftly like a snake and jumped back, dodging the blow and twisting under Roxas' arm. He leapt back, evading every swipe of Roxas' chakram, his movements too fluid for a human's that it almost looked as if he was dancing around the blonde boy, twisting and twirling and skipping and darting away from each swing. They continued on like this, taking up the space of the hall, leaping over damaged books and broken bookcases. Roxas let out a battle cry and swung the chakram again, releasing it from his grasp. Like a Catherine wheel, it spun it the air in a horizontal line, ripping across the space towards Riku, the spikes around it glinting in the light like a firework.

Riku quickly ducked under the spinning chakram, avoiding a near miss as it passed over his head. Then he spurted towards Roxas, his body zipping across the ground low enough to make him run on all fours, both arms and legs propelling him towards the boy. His silver hair tore back from his face; his face was expressionless but his eyes were wild.

Roxas moved, snatching something out of the air. The chakram was back in his hand again and before Riku could hit him, he swung it to drive the other back. Riku sprang away to avoid the swing and held his ground for a while in the same stance as before: legs and arms apart, his fingers curled like claws. There was a tear on the sleeve of his windbreaker.

Then Roxas moved again, hurling himself towards Riku, his chakram glinting in the light. Riku moved at the same time as well, again on all fours, sprinting towards Roxas–

Axel suddenly spoke something and it broke Sora's concentration on the fight before them. Sora was forced to tear his eyes away and look up at the man beside him. Axel's earlier words had flown right out of his head.

"W-What?" Sora said to Axel.

Axel continued watching the fight before he shifted his gaze onto Sora, "'He's finally found you.' That's what I said."

Sora was confused at first but then he widened his eyes when he realised who exactly Axel was talking about.

"Y-You mean Riku?" Sora stammered out, unable to control his trembling voice. "Wh-What… what do you mean? What do you want… with Riku?"

Axel tilted his head at Sora. "Do you know that your Riku is not human?" he asked and then continued on, "he's a dragon who's taken up a human form. Pretty crazy, doncha think?"

There was no need to answer that. The moment Riku had entered his life, things had started to go crazy. Nothing seemed the same to him now.

"As for what we want with Riku," Axel went on and turned back to the scene before them. "There's no point in hiding it. We want something from him. Something very _shiny_."

Shiny? Sora suddenly remembered the silver-white petals when he fell and the story he had read to a group of children at the hospital not a few days ago. The story of a Boy and a Dragon.

Shiny?

No, it couldn't possibly be… it _can't_ be…

"B-but it's a legend! Just a bedtime story!" Sora gasped out, his voice near hysterics now. "You're not _seriously_ telling me that-that Riku is… a, a dragon and you're after his dragon orb, his –his _mutiara_!"

Axel merely turned back to him, cocked an eyebrow and grinned his Cheshire cat grin. "You guessed right there, kid! _We _are the hunters of the story and your Riku there is our Dragon."

"No…" Sora gasped out, trying hard not to believe it.

Then Axel's smile faded a little and Sora saw something else in his eyes, something sad. It was as if he had been expecting this incident to happen for a long time.

"And you are the Boy," he said gravely. "The Boy destined to lead the Dragon back to Heaven."

And at that moment, Sora's whole world began to make no sense. Everything he knew was now a blur and he wasn't sure whether what he was seeing or hearing was real or all in his head. How could he be part of some fantasy story? The memory of the day before, the memory of falling off the ladder, of meeting Riku for the first time, of Leon trying to persuade him to leave the library, of Aerith inviting Riku in – it all seemed like a dream to him. He was baffled like hell, baffled at the amount of chaos that was happening to him and he hated it. Hated this. He wanted no part in this maelstrom. He wanted his dull, boring life back.

"No!" he found himself yelling up at Axel, who looked taken aback at his sudden vehement protest. "This is crazy! All this shit is crazy! You've got the wrong guy! I can't be the Boy! I… I didn't ask for _any_ of this!"

Axel was laughing and Sora wasn't sure whether it was at his words or perhaps at the coarseness in them. "Too bad, kid. He's chosen you and you've already shown him the Lake he's looking for. Now you _have _to play your role. There's no escaping it. I'm sorry it has to happen to a kid like you."

"Axel!" came Roxas' shout. Sora turned back to the fight and saw that the two boys were still striking at each other. Riku was swiping his curled hands at Roxas, moving as gracefully as a snake, and Roxas was fighting back, swinging the chakram back at him. It was hard to tell who was having the upper hand.

Axel straightened up and ran a gloved hand through his red hair. "Well," he said as he glanced down at Sora. "That's my cue. Catcha later, yeah? Oh, and don't forget to run. Really fast."

Axel disappeared from his side so abruptly that Sora found himself alone with no support to hold onto. His knees buckled and he collapsed to the ground. He was so tired and he hadn't the mind power to absorb all that was happening to him right now.

Me? The Boy of the Dragon story?

It was just too much.

He managed to sit himself up on the debris-covered floor by using the remainder of his energy and watched the scene taking place with his mind a haze of confusion.

Axel had plucked out a chakram out of thin air, wielding it with his left hand while Roxas held his own with his right. The two black figures moved as a team like two parts of a whole. They seemed to anticipate each other's moves as they pursued Riku who saw himself outnumbered and decided to withdraw from attacking. Roxas let fly his chakram and it spun in a horizontal arch, nearly hitting Riku in the leg before Axel appeared there to catch it and continue on with the attack. The silver-haired youth leapt over a bookcase to dodge Axel's strike and then Roxas appeared by Riku's side, swinging another chakram at him. Riku held out his arm, blocking the blow and stopping the spikes from cutting him before he jumped away again.

Sora saw the look in Riku's eyes and knew that he was going to flee. The silver-haired youth darted away from his pursuers, heading towards the end of the Fiction books section, his hair flying behind him.

Unfortunately, the other two males anticipated this as well.

"Axel!" Roxas yelled again. An order.

The two black figures flew towards each other and let their chakram clash with a loud _clank_ and they turned them then, Roxas clockwise and Axel anticlockwise. There was a click as the two chakram locked into each other and they suddenly burst into a bright flame. Sora cried out at the sudden ignition. An enormous flaming chakram, even more ferocious-looking, replaced the two smaller ones and both Axel and Roxas let it fly the moment Riku made a flying leap upwards.

Sora saw silver-white petals trail after Riku as he soared upwards, towards the balcony where Sora had fallen off of.

"Gotcha now," came Axel's voice.

The huge chakram caught Riku in the back. Driven by the force of the chakram, they smashed through the remains of the balcony and disappeared into the depths in an explosion of wood, books and flames.

There was a gigantic _creak_ and the whole balcony suddenly tilted. The damage that had been done was too much for it to handle. Sora stared with awe as the entire structure started to break off, tipping the landing even further. Wood pieces, the remains of bookcases and books were being dumped onto the ground floor. Then Riku was there, running down the sloping landing with one hand holding the giant chakram and the other arm thrown out behind him, raking the air. A swarm of spinning, spiralling book pages trailed after his arm, as they were being pulled by an invisible string. Riku was running down the landing and his eyes were fixed on both Axel and Roxas.

"Axel, get ready," Sora heard Roxas say to his companion and the other nodded, his lips upturned in a small smirk. They both half-crouched in a stance, ready to move, ignoring the torn bits of paper raining down on them.

Riku took a flying leap once he reached the edge of the balcony and released the huge chakram from his grasp. Then with another cry, he swung his other arm and let loose the storm of paper and together with the chakram, they hurtled towards the two waiting figures in a hurricane of fire and paper. Axel and Roxas stood their ground, waiting for the impact.

The whole balcony, exhausted in holding itself up, finally collapsed.

And suddenly, the whole world went black.

_**

* * *

(End chapter)

* * *

**_

Notes:

Before you accuse me of anything, there _is_ a reason for Roxas possessing a chakram instead of a Keyblade. I will not tell you the reason for the chakram because I'll spoil the story.

I'll start writing the third chapter then to alleviate the suspense of the cliff-hanger and post it up as soon as possible.

So, like the chapter? And if so, what is it that you like about it? Please **review**!


	3. dawn

III. **d a w n.**

The fluorescent lights. The white ceiling. He was in the staff room of the library, sprawled across a couch with a cooling cloth on his forehead. Sora blinked once, twice, three times. Everything was so hazy, a swirl of colours and shapes. When he turned his head, the outline of the low coffee table took shape in his vision. There was a small foam container on top of the table which smelled of baked potato.

Sora shut his eyes for a moment.

Where…?

What… what happened…?

He sat up abruptly, letting the cooling cloth fall from his head and regretted it afterwards when a sudden head rush hit him, causing his vision to blur. He clutched his forehead and was aware that the bandage plastered there was gone and his skin was smooth and undamaged. Wasn't there supposed to be a…

Suddenly, images flashed through his mind. Vivid images. The balcony, the fight, Axel, dragon, the library was…

The library was… Oh _god_-!

Sora stumbled out of the couch and staggered outside only to find the library empty and quiet as it was. He zigzagged through the rows of book-lined shelves, his feet skidding across the shiny marble floors and his mind burning with questions: Was the fight over? Are Leon and Aerith back? Did they see what happened? How long was I out? Are those people coming back to ki–?

Before long, he arrived at the Fiction section at the end of the library, his heart beating with apprehension and–

Sora's eyes widened with absolute disbelief.

What the–?

What lay before him were eleven rows of bookcases lined with a variety of books arranged in alphabetical order. Between some of the bookcases were reading desks, their chairs neatly tucked under. The carpet was spotless. There were no signs of damage, no signs of a struggle or a fight. Certainly none involving dragons and oversized Catherine wheels. Sora glanced up and saw the balcony overhead, with its thin wooden railings, still there, still intact and not destroyed at all. It was fine. Everything was alright, in tip-top condition, like everything he experienced did not happen at all.

Weird.

"But… but why…?" Sora whispered as he cautiously stepped into the aisle and stopped at the desk which had supposedly broken his fall. He ran a finger across the smooth surface and wondered: Why wasn't the library destroyed? Wasn't there a…? Shouldn't there be…? Where the _hell _was Riku?

He stared at the eerie scene again and suddenly felt an unpleasant shiver go up his spine. Slowly, he backed away from the bookcases, the desks and especially the sight of the balcony, the same one in which he _swore_ he saw collapse before his eyes, before turning around to run, leaving the untouched scene of stillness behind him.

Nothing… nothing happened…

"Sora!"

Sora skidded to a stop and realised he was by the front counter and Aerith had emerged from behind it. She rushed to him and grabbed him by the shoulders.

"You're finally awake!" she cried out, her voice echoing around the library. "Are you feeling alright? You _collapsed_, Sora! When you got Riku his book, you fainted on the spot. Riku found my number under the counter and called us! And Leon-! He practically, practically _zoomed_ to the library in two seconds flat, Sora! He was so…" she paused as her eyebrows furrowed with worry.

Sora stared at the woman in disbelief before he was able to open his mouth and speak, "What…what did you say happened to me…?"

"You fainted!" Aerith exclaimed, her voice near hysterics. "Leon blamed it on exhaustion. Thank _god_ Riku called us or something else–"

Sora, amidst the confusion he was now in, cut into Aerith's sentence: "But the library was _destroyed_, Aerith! The balcony collapsed and there was this fight and Riku was involved and I was nearly killed because the-the balcony, I fell off it and then I woke up and everything's like it never happened and–"

"Sora," Sora stopped talking when Aerith felt his forehead. He blinked when he recognised the confusion in her eyes. "What are you _talking_ about…?"

What am I…?

"Ouch!" a small utterance escaped Sora's lips when he felt something hard tap on the crown of his head. When he turned around, Leon behind him, holding up a book he had just used to rap Sora's head with. Meeting the older man's gaze, Sora saw the expression of distress on his face. He grimaced slightly when those grey eyes scrutinized his own.

"_That's_ for worrying me to death," Leon growled at him as he lowered the book. "What the hell happened to you, Sora?"

Sora swallowed. "I'm not so sure…"

His gaze wandered over to the direction of the first floor balcony and he recalled showing Riku the book he wanted, all before the chakram appeared out of nowhere with its spikes glinting dangerously. Then there was Axel, red-haired and menacing; Roxas, who had physically hurt him and then Riku... a _dragon_.

But nothing had happened to the library. Aerith and Leon said that he had collapsed from exhaustion. Could it be…? Could all that be just a dream? A realistic nightmare induced from his physical and mental exhaustion? Was it due to the shock of the near car crash he had last night? Could it be that the events in which he had experienced were all… just all in his head?

Leon's exasperated sigh broke Sora's train of thought. The older man was frowning, opening his mouth and closing it again as if struggling to form words. Staring hard at Sora for a while, he gave it another try, "I know you told us not to nag anymore, Sora, but I really think you should give yourself a break, okay?" Sora stiffened slightly when he felt Leon squeeze his arm. "You hear me, Sora?" the older man said, his voice laced with seriousness.

"What Leon means," Aerith offered helpfully, "is that you take a couple of days off work. Get some rest. That sort of thing."

Sora realised that the expression on Leon's face was so intense – the lines of worry and distress appeared so prominent – that he couldn't help but look away in embarrassment and guilt. Was Leon really _that_ worried about him?

"But you feel okay now, right?" Aerith asked.

Maybe…

Sora turned and gave her a small smile. "Yeah, I'm fine."

…It was all just a stupid _dream_.

"Hmm, I'm glad," Aerith sighed, putting a hand over her heart.

Leon shifted his stance, an indication that he was now dropping their current topic, and held out the book to them. The frown was still lingering on his face but the air about him was different now. It was the air of a librarian on duty. "You two had better take a look at this," he began, his voice stern and serious. "I found it in the Fiction section. I don't know what could have caused this."

Aerith snatched the book from Leon's grasp. "Oh my goodness!" she exclaimed in horror. "Who could… who could do such a thing?"

Sora was equally horrified at the state of the book in question. Seeing that Aerith was too busy shooting questions at Leon, he took the object from Aerith and examined it. It was badly damaged, the cover image indiscernible. He flicked through the pages only to find some of the leaves coming apart and some of them torn into shreds. There was only one page that was untouched. It had the picture of a body of water shadowed by the shade of woodland. The caption underneath told him that it was a reservoir in Twilight Town.

Reservoir… Twilight Town?

_Riku._

Oh my god-!

Wasn't this book shredded into pieces when that chakram narrowly missed him? He saw it happen! And it was _still_ like this. But why the hell is it–? Did… the dream… no, it can't be–?

It _can't _be–!

Sora opened his mouth.

"Where's Riku?"

Both Leon and Aerith stared at him, probably startled at the seriousness in his voice. "Riku?" Aerith said. "He left a while ago. He said he was going to look at the town for a while."

Clutching the damaged book in hand, Sora whirled around and ran out of the library.

* * *

He found the lone figure standing on top of a cobbled staircase in the Marketplace, a tall and unmoving form whose long silver hair was fluttering in the cold breeze. Sora stopped at the foot of the steps to catch his breath for a while. He had been looking for Riku all over Hollow Bastion for nearly an hour and it was nearing dusk soon. The weak sun was sinking on the horizon.

Readjusting his hold on the book, Sora quickly climbed the stairs and charged at the taller boy, grabbing his sleeve. Riku turned to look at him, his expression nonchalant yet expectant. It was as if he had known Sora was coming all along.

"You!" Sora yelled and roughly shoved the damaged book at the taller youth's face. "I don't know what kind of hocus-pocus jumbo you did but I demand to know what the hell is going on! What happened in the library? Did those people really come and try to k-kill me? Was there really a fight? Was the library destroyed? Why is it okay now? Why did Leon and Aerith say I collapsed? Did I really collapse? What the hell did you _do_ to me? Why did you come and mess with my head? I want the truth right– right _now_!"

In the whole thirty seconds after the outburst which left Sora panting for breath, Riku merely looked at him with an air of calmness. He gently pushed the book away from his face and stared at Sora and his bedraggled appearance. His eyes, Sora was shocked to see once more, was aqua blue, calm and composed.

"You want to know the truth?" Riku answered quietly. He made no effort to pull away from Sora's grip. Instead, his eyes continued to stare into Sora's own, the calm blue colour full of absolute nonchalance. "Everything that happened _did _happen. The damage to the library was real. There _was_ a fight and yes, you were nearly killed."

"Then why is the library–"

"In one piece?" Riku finished for him. "I restored everything as it was… but by the state of this book, I might have missed a few things. Nonetheless, it took a tremendous amount of energy to do so which is why I had to resort to using the _Mutiara_'s power. I also healed your physical wounds. You weren't too badly injured but your friends were extremely worried about you, especially the man, who seems to dislike me for some reason."

Sora found himself struggling to form words. "S-So everything _did_ happen after all?"

"Yes, it was real."

The book slipped from Sora's hand and landed on the cobbled floor with a thud. Sora was staring up at Riku in disbelief, unable to accept the absurdity of the situation. He finally let go of the other's sleeve.

"Tell me," Sora began quietly, his voice ready to break into hysterics. "What in hell's name are you?"

The sky above them continued to burn a faint dusty orange, leaving the residue of darkness behind. For a moment, the sun's weak rays gilded the town rooftops, washing over the two boys, making Riku appear almost incredible under the golden shine.

"I'm a dragon," was the straight reply, frank and concise. "And I'm on the run because two people are hunting me down for the _Mutiara._ I'm searching for the Lake that will take me back to where I come from."

"Where you come from?" Sora commented. "Which is?"

"Another world."

"Another–?" Sora felt his heartbeat quicken at what he was actually hearing. "How did you get here in the first place?"

"I'm not sure myself," was the other boy's reply. "I only know that something pulled me away from my dimension and brought me into this one. The next thing I knew, I was being chased. I didn't know what to do at first but as time passed and you came along, I realised that I found whom I was looking for all this time. You're the one who'll show me the way back."

Sora felt his mouth go dry. Wha–?

"Sora." Riku continued to speak and Sora felt himself shuddering at the way his name came out of the other's mouth. "You need to leave this place soon."

"What?"

"You're in danger now. You realise that the people you saw today plan to eliminate you once they catch you. If you stay here any longer, your friends will be in danger as well. It's best that you go away altogether."

"Are you seriously telling me I should _leave_ Hollow Bastion?" Sora said incredulously. "But I've never been out of town before. The last time was years and _years _ago! Besides, where can I go to?"

"To Twilight Town," Riku answered as if the answer to that question was obvious. "You need to help me get to that reservoir. No one else can do it."

"_And you are the Boy…the Boy destined to lead the Dragon back to Heaven."_

Axel's words echoed in Sora's head, clear and precise.

"_He's chosen you and you've already shown him the Lake he's looking for. Now you have to play your role. There's no escaping it."_

This…is really not happening.

"But I can't just _leave!_" Sora found himself shouting at Riku, his voice suddenly high-pitched with distress and his composure now in pieces. "I don't want to be involved in this at all. Listen- listen _you_, this is the craziest, stupidest, most outrageous thing I've ever heard and… I don't want this! I don't want to do it! It's your own fault you got into this mess so why don't you sort it out by yourself and stay out of my life for once?!"

Riku remained silent at the fiery outburst, watching the other pant for breath. Sora was increasingly aware that his face was hot. He glared up at Riku, challenging him, trying to disguise the feeling of embarrassment at his sudden outburst. It was Riku's fault he was nearly killed in the first place. It was Riku's fault that Leon became extremely worried about Sora's condition. It was Riku's fault that–

Riku suddenly spoke, finally shifting his eyes away from Sora to stare at the distance, "I've been on the run for two years now, just hiding from them. When I met you, I knew that I needed you. I knew that you could help me."

Sora harrumphed irritably, "Why's that?"

Riku's eyes, the blueness gilded by gold, landed on his own again. "Because there's something about you, Sora," he answered quietly. "And it tells me you've also been waiting for something to happen. That's why I could see them that time. I could see your thoughts."

My thoughts?

A small gasp escaped Sora's lips. That time when the car… he said, Riku said he could see…

For once, Sora realised that he was at a loss for words.

What if it's true? He found himself wondering. What if I _am _the Boy? What if the feeling that passed between us when I dropped him off at the inn was a sign? What if all that I'm doing in the library is not working but waiting? Waiting for something – _this_ – to happen? What if – what if…

"You've wanted to leave this place, don't you?" Riku spoke as he continued watching Sora.

"N-No–" Sora began answering but his words faltered and died. He felt that it wasn't the right answer. It wasn't as if he hated practising the same routine everyday. It was just…there was nothing left for him to do, no excitement, nothing to look forward to. Working in the Borough & Bailey Library felt more like working in an airtight box buried in the layers of grey snow. The inertness he was going through in his life at the moment was like the long winter months. Even when he convinced himself that he preferred the tedium and sameness of everything, it wasn't enough. Working in the library and living like this was not enough. The restlessness he often felt at times while working, stimulating him do more and more tasks in the library was not enough. Something was seriously _missing_ there.

Sora averted his gaze away from Riku's, only to rest it upon the darkling horizon. He realised that the landing he and Riku stood on provided the view of Hollow Bastion and its cobbled buildings and its chimney-clad roofs with its wisps of smoke curling lazily up into the sky. Beyond the maze of twisting black rooftops, Sora could see the wild highway that led out of Hollow Bastion, marked by a grand arch. He felt his stomach twist with unease and fear at the thought of leaving the place so familiar to him in order to face something unknown, foreign and possibly dangerous. But there was something else, a much stronger feeling inside him – _excitement_ at the prospect of the upcoming journey, this _adventure_ into the unknown.

Sora took a deep breath and exhaled.

Oh god, I must be _crazy_.

"We're leaving tomorrow," Riku's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. "I'll be waiting at the grand arch for you at dawn." The next thing Sora knew, Riku had brushed past him and was already making his way down the cobbled steps, leaving him by himself. Sora watched as the other disappeared from his view before resting his wrists on the railings of the landing, exhaling another cloud of white condensation.

What should he do now?

Hearing a babble of voices below him, Sora peered down to see the shops of the Marketplace shutting up and shoppers leaving the area. A group of people were chatting right below him, their voices loud enough for Sora to hear:

"So have we found our star yet?"

"The Boy? Yes, we've found someone. The guy who dresses up as the Dragon picked him for some reason. He's quite an unexpected fellow too, that boy. Said he never danced in his life but he looks perfect for the job."

"That's great! We'll send in the costumes for the Dance to you tomorrow. This year's Festival is going to be one to remember."

Sora nearly laughed out loud. He almost regretted not auditioning for the Festival today. That way, he would never have expected to be playing the role of the Boy for real.

* * *

"Tomorrow? You're leaving _tomorrow_?"

Sora cringed at the tone in Leon's voice before he told himself to breathe and answer as calmly as he possibly could: "Tomorrow at dawn, to be exact."

Leon furrowed his eyebrows into something that almost resembled a frown before Aerith reached over and placed her hand upon his arm and sent the other a look.

"Remind us again why you're going away?" she asked, her eyes soft with understanding.

Sora squirmed slightly. He hadn't thought of a plausible excuse for his sudden decision but then he suddenly recalled Leon's advice.

"I'm taking a break," Sora forced himself to speak boldly. "I've been thinking about what you said and I think you guys are right. I've been working too hard."

"Where will you be going?"

"Twilight Town."

To Sora's surprise, he saw Leon look taken aback for a moment. After a few seconds of silence, the man finally spoke, "You're sure you really want to go?"

A feeling of unease twisted in Sora's stomach. He gave the other a stiff nod, "Yeah."

With that, Leon abruptly stood up from his seat. A strange look had settled on his face but it was too vague for Sora to read. The man murmured without looking at him, "You should go home and get yourself ready. Aerith and I will close up the library."

Once Leon left the staffroom, Sora felt Aerith touch his shoulder. "Don't worry about him. He's just a little shocked to hear the news. Hurry home and sort yourself out! Be careful when you drive!" Aerith gave him a smile and he returned it, half-sincere.

At home, Sora wasn't sure how he managed to prepare himself for tomorrow's journey. His mind was buzzing with questions and possible answers. He moved in a sort of daze, sauntering around the house to fetch and shove things into his duffle bag. There was always a voice in his head reminding him that he was really going to leave everything behind – the kitchen counter where he used to do his homework on; the wine stain on the living room carpet, courtesy of the first glass he tried two years prior; the bookshelf in which he arranged Cloud's collection of books (not that his brother had time to notice when he was on his rare visits home). What on earth was he getting himself into? What lay for him on the horizon ahead? Adventure? Danger? Death?

The next thing he knew, he was laying on the living room couch with a pillow mark on his cheek. The clock on the mantelpiece glowed the time of the day: it was almost dawn.

The snow seemed to have thickened overnight when Sora stepped outside his house. In the still darkness, the air was very cold that he could feel his fingers grow numb in seconds. He rubbed his hands together, blowing into them and, with duffle bag in hand, made his way to the little black car that was buried in snow.

"Sora!"

Sora almost gaped in surprise. Standing by his car, wrapped up in thick coats and scarves, were Aerith and Leon, their cheeks and noses red from the cold. Leon looked particularly grumpy being woken up so early in the morning while Aerith was her usual breezy self.

"Wh-What are you doing here?" Sora asked, hardly believing they were there in front of him.

"Don't be silly, Sora!" Aerith smiled. "We're here to see you off, of course! Don't think we're letting you go without saying goodbye yet!"

Oh…

Unexpectedly, Sora felt a sudden warmth wash over him at her words. He realised that, depending on the circumstances, he wasn't going to see his two colleagues for some time. He shyly stood back, unable to reply, unable to look at them. He gasped when he felt a pair of arms embrace him and a pink ribbon floated in view.

"A-Aerith," Sora stammered out, feeling his face heat up. He could even see Leon smirking in the background. "Th-Thank you." It was the only thing he could reply to something like this.

"Now you be careful on your journey," Aerith said as she ended their hug. "Call us once you reach Twilight Town. Oooh, I can't believe you're finally going!" She smoothed back a tousled lock of brown hair and leaned in to kiss him on the forehead. Sora tried not to cringe and instead, looked up and smiled at her tender gesture. He was surprised to find her eyes wet with unshed tears.

"I'll put your things in the car," she said, taking his duffle bag and holding up a shopping bag full of food. "I've also bought some things for you. It's never too late to be prepared!" With that, she pushed Sora to Leon and went off to the car.

Leon's silence made their moment together awkward for a while. Sora cleared his throat uncomfortably, his thoughts racing through his head: Leon, who always worries about him… really, why wasn't Leon stopping him from going too soon?

"To be honest," Sora was surprised that Leon's first words were quiet. He was muttering them as if he didn't want to be overheard. "I'm not really convinced about all this. I have a feeling that something's up and you're not telling me the whole truth."

Sora tensed at this. Leon suspected him? What if he finds out that Riku's involved? Then he'll definitely–

But Leon had continued talking, determined to say what he wanted to say, "Aerith and I, we had a long talk last night and I realised situations like this can't be helped. I'm not your parent or your brother or your family and therefore, I don't have the right to stop you from doing what you want. But I do know this; I can't be selfish. I can't keep you around forever, making sure you don't get into trouble. At some point, I've got to let you go. I have to respect the fact that it's your life, Sora. I'm just here to help you when you need it."

Sora stared at Leon, not in shock but in understanding. He realised that he understood Leon better now and the struggle the older man had gone through to accept Sora's abrupt decision. He didn't know what to say except give the other an affirmative nod.

Leon looked at him for a while before he began pulling up his sleeve, revealing his leather band bracelet. Sora stared in shock as the older man pulled it off his wrist. What was Leon doing? He _never_ took that bracelet off. It was precious, valuable to him…so why was he–

"I want you to keep this," Leon lifted Sora's wrist in order to slip the accessory on. He pulled the two ends of string and ran his thumb over the leather band, "so you could deliver a message to someone, okay?"

"Le-Leon…" Sora was speechless at the gift. Leon was giving him this? Why… "Wait. What do you mean by 'a message to someone'?"

The other merely gave him a nonchalant shrug. "You'll find out when you get there."

Sora blinked down at the leather band around his wrist with the two dangling string ends, each tied with a small wooden bead. Pride Rock, right? That's where Leon got it from. This was an important object to him. Important to Leon.

"I'll take good care of it," Sora said, smiling genuinely up at the older man. "Thanks, Leon– huh?" he stopped because he was surprised that Leon had put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it affectionately.

Leon's grey eyes stared into his own. There was a heavy sigh and a small, sincere smile was given.

"We love you, Sora. Don't forget us."

It was at that moment that Sora felt his throat tighten all of a sudden and an overwhelming feeling of something took over his form. He hiccupped and realised that it sounded almost like a sob. He turned away, his face burning with embarrassment when he realised that his eyes had become strangely wet. He quickly blinked the wetness away, put his hand, with the wooden beads of the bracelet dangling in view, on Leon's arm and squeezed back a silent reply.

Above them, dawn finally broke as a strand of light pierced the dark sky.

* * *

"Damn it."

Sora refrained himself from hitting the steering wheel with his fist. He was sure that the lane he just took was going to lead him to a dead end. He reversed the car and drove back the other direction, spilling melted snow over the sides of the road. The car protested his abuse with a screech but Sora ignored it and forced himself to remain calm. All he needed to do was find the main highway again. He was sure that the road signs would tell him where the hell was Twilight Town.

Sora regretted throwing away the road maps he had a couple of years ago. Now he was lost in the middle of nowhere with an unresponsive _guest _who was crouching in the back seat and not offering him much help, no less.

"Riku, do you remember which way I turned?"

"Hm?" Riku snapped out of his trance and blinked at Sora from the rear-view mirror. Sora avoided staring at Riku's eyes for too long. It reminded him so much of the time he nearly crashed the car. Still, he wondered why they were blue – his eyes…

"Well?"

"I don't know."

Oh. _Great_.

Sora checked his watch and found that it was nearing three in the afternoon. In a little more than an hour or so, it was going to get dark soon and a million times colder. Sora cursed under his breath again. He should find some small town to stay for the night. To do so, he had to find the stupid highway and fast.

Sora stepped on the accelerator and felt his heart stop when the car engine spluttered loudly and died, leaving them in silence.

"No way, this is _not _happening. Not now," Sora couldn't care less that Riku could see his increasing distress. Sora turned the ignition and got a series of dry knocks in return. What had happened? Sora kicked his door open, made his way to the bonnet of the car, cautiously eased it open and was almost hit by an enormous cloud of hot steam. He backed away, swearing.

Now what?

Riku emerged from the car and Sora gave him a glare in return.

In the end, the two figures ended up trudging across the thick snow, Sora dragging his duffle bag with him while Riku cradled the shopping bag in his arms. Sora felt too irritated to induce a conversation with Riku. After all, it was _Riku's _fault that they ended up lost in the middle of nowhere.

The air was growing even colder as several minutes passed. Sora had to dig into his duffle bag for a pull-on hat to cover his head and ears. He eyed the long path ahead of them and then glanced at the side. A small woodland stretched alongside the road. What lay on the other side? More woodland or perhaps the highway? Nonetheless, he felt exhausted from the effort of walking in the snow and trying to keep himself warm at the same time. The next time he checked his watch, they had been walking for nearly an hour and the sun had already begun its descent from the sky.

Damn it.

Sora dropped the duffel back onto the snow and sat on top of it. He was goddamn cold, his cheeks stung, his fingers were numb, his nose was runny and there was Riku, standing there in front of him, with cheeks and nose unblemished, who was not even wearing gloves and who didn't appear to be cold at all. Sora kicked at a pile of snow and let out a frustrated sound.

"Are you alright?" Finally, Riku decided to say something.

"No, I'm not," Sora snapped back at him before holding out his hand. "Give me the bag, I'm hungry."

As Sora grumpily nibbled on a biscuit, Riku suddenly crouched in front of him and Sora leaned away, almost startled to see Riku's blue eyes strangely bright. Furthermore, the corner of Riku's lip was twitching upwards, as if to smile. Sora blinked in confusion, not to mention, unease.

"Whoa, Ri–"

"You wanna race?" Sora's mouth remained open as he tried to register exactly what Riku had just voiced out.

"I-I'm sorry?"

"Do you want to race me?" Riku repeated again, at a much slower pace. Sora stared incredulously at the other boy. Was Riku serious? It was hard to tell. His face was difficult to read. The only clue that could suffice for the sincerity of that suggestion was the brightness in those blue eyes.

A gust of cold wind gusted past the two figures and Sora found himself sneezing.

"Do you seriously think I want to race you in our present condition? We're _lost, _dammit. Why even say that in the first place?"

Riku tilted his head slightly, as if to think of an answer. "You were looking upset," he replied. "I thought a run might cheer you up a bit."

Sora gave the other a glare before turning his gaze away, now very irritated to be stuck with the other boy. He grabbed another biscuit and stuffed it into his mouth.

The next thing he knew, the pull-on hat he was wearing was gone and Riku was standing in front of him, dangling it with one hand. Instantly, Sora knew what the other was planning.

Sora pointed his finger at Riku in warning, "Oh no, you're not– don't you dare–"

But what Riku did instead was raise his eyebrows at him, turn around and take off into the snowy woodland.

"DAMMIT! COME BACK HERE!" Sora's bottled-up frustration had finally burst. Blinded by anger, he shot after Riku without a second thought into the clump of trees, his booted feet tossing up snow and his shouts thrown up into the quiet cold air. He could see Riku up ahead, dodging past the trees. Sora ran forward, his legs pumping him onward and he could see that he was catching up to the taller boy. He willed himself to run faster. Riku was _not _going to get away with this, he told himself. Once I catch him, he'll be–

Despite the cold wind blowing his hair back and the fact that he had to dodge every tree and root in his way, a sense of excitement was building up inside of him. Sora realised that he hadn't felt this way for some time. This feeling… the thrill of this chase… it made him feel _alive_. Could it be… was this what Riku meant when he said he wanted to cheer Sora up?

When he was just a few metres away from Riku, he almost tripped over when the silver-haired boy sprung away from the path and, unbelievably, ran up the bark of a tree.

"HEY!" Sora yelled but couldn't continue because Riku had leapt off the branch of the tree only to land on another. The pull-on hat was still in his grasp. Sora felt his irritation for the other boy go up a notch.

"NO FAIR!" His voice rang across the naked branches and he could have sworn that he heard Riku laughing at him.

Sora continued running, ignoring the aches in his legs and the stitch that was developing in his side and focused on Riku's form above him. His breaths were coming out in pants and sweat drops were forming on his forehead. He realised that he wasn't so cold anymore.

"Come _on_!" he yelled to himself. "Almost there!"

Spotting Riku was heading towards a dense snow-covered shrubbery up ahead, Sora spurted forward, determined to reach there first.

Almost… almost…

Riku leapt once more–

_Yes!_

Sora burst through the shrub, feeling the sharp ends tug at his clothes, and found himself in the middle of the road. And a slippery road to boot.

He slipped on the thin layer of flattened snow, seeing his vision flip upside down. The next thing he knew, he was lying on his back, panting for breath and there was pain sailing up his body, paralysing his limbs. _Not again_, he thought as he stared up at the sky which he now noticed had darkened. He realised that all his anger, irritation, all the energy he had before was already spent. He was left physically exhausted.

After several seconds, he carefully got back up, rubbing his sore limbs. Why was a road doing here anyway–

Suddenly, a set of bright lights pierced the growing darkness, blinding him with its brilliance. The sound of an engine roaring broke the silence of the evening and before he knew it, something was hurtling towards him at full speed. It appeared so abruptly that Sora didn't have time to react.

Tires screamed against the ice, filling the evening air and something solid slammed into him. He felt himself thrown sideways, his breath knocked out of his body and pain hitting him like a lightning bolt. He tumbled along the icy road before he rolled to a stop. Pain seared up his side, especially on his elbow.

Silence. All before Sora heard the sound of voices shouting and screeching. He forced his eyes open and realised that he wasn't in the middle of the road anymore. Pushing himself up, he saw tire tracks swerving across the road leading to a jeep parked by the side. Something was lying in the middle of the road. Sora recognised the blue windbreaker.

Riku!

Riku had saved him once again. Sora staggered towards the unmoving body and in passing the jeep, he could hear the voices of a man and a girl arguing inside. He crouched over Riku and touched the other's shoulder. Behind him, the doors of the jeep were kicked open and loud voices disturbed the silence again.

"Oh my gawd! We _killed _someone! This is so, so bad! I knew I shoulda driven instead! You're already losin' your eyesight, Old Man!"

"Don't you dare call me that, you s__ little brat! He just appeared in the middle of the b___ road like a f__ ghost so don't you blame s__ on my eyesight, you little ___!"

Riku was blinking up at Sora in a slight daze and to Sora's astonishment; the taller boy sat himself up as if he had just woken up from sleeping. Sora's words fumbled out of his mouth, "But how–?"

"Dammit, f__ kids, are you alright?" Sora jerked at the coarseness of the voice (not to mention the language) and looked up to see a blonde man and a teenaged girl standing above them. They looked shaken from the incident; the man's hair stood up in one end while the girl was fiddling with her hands. Sora blinked at them. They made a strange pair.

"We're fine. You didn't hit us at all," it was Riku who answered. He stood up, pulling Sora with him. Sora realised that the other's jaw was tense, his blue eyes narrowed with wariness.

"So what in f__'s name are you doing here?" the man growled at them.

This time, Sora was able to speak again. He was relieved that they were both alive and were saved from freezing to death in the middle of nowhere, "O-Our car… it broke down… somewhere a long way back."

"Is that why you're standing in the middle of the road?" the girl exclaimed. Her hair was short and black and tied back with a bandanna. "What is _wrong _withyou two? You could have just waved! It's a safer way to get our attention!"

"F__ right. You scared the s__ h__ out of us," the man growled, shakily fishing an unlit cigarette from his pocket and shoving it into his mouth. He glared down at them. "Tell you what. We'll give you __ punks a ride. We're headin' back to our place anyhow. If you don't feel like __-"

"Hey! Old Man! Be nice!" the girl slapped her companion's arm, earning a scowl from the other. She pointed to herself and grinned, "Sorry about that. He isn't usually this friendly. It's just the shock of thinkin' we mighta killed someone, that's all. Oh, and by the way, I should introduce myself. I am the great princess of Awesome– _Owww_!" she howled in pain when the man slapped upside her head.

"S__ brat. Introduce properly, will you." The man chewed on his cigarette stick and scowled at them. "Let me be honest with you. I hate introductions. But seeing that the situation calls for it, I've got to do the honours. The name's Cid Highwind and this is Yuffie Kisaragi. And it's real f__ nice to meet you two and yadda, yadda. Now that that's done, you should all get your a__ into that goddamn jeep before we freeze to death out here."

Sora felt his eye twitch with unease. He had a bad feeling about this.

_**

* * *

(End chapter)

* * *

**_

Author Notes

Hello! For the _maelstrom _reviewers:

**DieChan, mochiusagi, Sky91, spiritfire, music-is-luv, SuperFriendlySoraFan203, Chronos Mephistopheles, DeeLoli, Kanpa.**

THANK YOU, DEARS!! –dedicates this chapter to you all-

Here are some things I'd like to share:

1) This chapter, "_dawn",_ obviously means the beginning of the day. It also represents the beginning of Sora's journey as he breaks away from his current, inert situation and finally steps into motion.

2) The bracelet that Leon gave Sora is actually pretty important later on. The fact that Leon looked "taken aback" when Sora told him he was going to Twilight Town is kind of a clue. We will hear the story behind it in the next chapter or so. The scene of Sora's departure is supposed to be a touching one because Sora, as we have seen so far, does not seem to acknowledge the care that Leon and Aerith give him. In this scene, Leon points it out to him and Sora is shocked at the realisation that he doesn't even have words to answer.

3) I'm not sure myself at what happened to Axel and Roxas. It is assumed that they lost the fight against Riku and fled from the scene.

4) We are getting a glimpse of playful side of Riku's character in the scene where Sora chases Riku. Riku is rather strange and mysterious in this story (not to mention incredibly OOC, tweaked to suit the purposes of this story) and he seems to constantly surprise Sora with his spontaneity. Hence the invitation to "race him".

5) I realised that Sora is not just prone to getting into little accidents. Ever since he met Riku, he's now prone to life-threatening situations. Also, notice that so far, Sora has never once called Riku by his name. It's always "you".

6) Cid and Yuffie were a bit tricky to write. I wasn't entirely sure if I should sprinkle swear words all over the place so I stuck with this technique "__" instead.

To you, Reader, thank you for reading this story!

**Feedback and comments are, of course, very much appreciated**.

I would love to hear what you think so far. 'Till next chapter then!


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